-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She was named Sara , after the daughter of the man who found her , and she got to go home Wednesday . For her , home is the waters of the Florida Keys , a place no one expected she 'd ever return to .

Sara is a 115-pound federally protected loggerhead sea turtle who , if not for sheer luck , would be dead today . In early August , a father and son fishing in the Keys spotted Sara floating with a 4-foot spear sticking out of her head .

The loggerhead was taken to the Florida Keys Turtle Hospital .

`` This has to be one of the luckiest turtles in history , '' said veterinarian Doug Mader .

The odds of saving Sara were not good . The spear had gone in just behind her ear and lodged against the jawbone on the other side . `` Quarter of an inch in either direction , '' said Mader , `` and the animal would be dead . ''

The shooting of the turtle had to be deliberate , said Rich Moretti , who runs the Turtle Hospital in Marathon . From the angle of entry it appeared to the medical team that Sara had been shot from above , probably from a boat .

`` Everyone in the Keys was absolutely offended that someone would come down and do that to one of our turtles , '' Moretti said .

He said he does not believe whoever shot the turtle was from the Keys . The spear was much bigger than what locals would normally use , he noted .

The day after the turtle was rescued , Moretti took a picture of the spear to every dive shop in the area . He hoped the person who shot the turtle would come looking for a replacement and someone in that shop could make an identification . No luck .

Doctors who first looked at the injured turtle said that with each breath she took , they could hear a fluttering sound . After stabilizing Sara and giving her antibiotics , Mader was able to remove the spear from her head and the flutter ended .

Sara is a young turtle , about 12 years old . It was only a week ago she started eating on her own , gobbling up some squid . Once that happened , Moretti said , `` we knew it was time for her to go back home . ''

A $ 16,000 reward is offered for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the injury . Much of the money came from local commercial fishermen and boat captains . The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Marine Fisheries Service is investigating .

The staff at the Turtle Hospital sees many accidental injuries , `` animals tied up in fishing line or hit by a boat , '' Moretti said . `` When we see something like this , intentional , it 's rare . ''

It 's even rarer for a turtle to survive and recover so quickly from the kind of damage Sara suffered .

Under a beautiful blue September morning sky , Sara was released near the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon . For the volunteers , the doctors , and Moretti , this was the kind of day that makes them smile .

@highlight

Sara , a loggerhead sea turtle , was found with a spear in her head

@highlight

Veterinarians at the Florida Keys Turtle Hospital removed the spear and helped her recover

@highlight

`` This has to be one of the luckiest turtles in history , '' a veterinarian says